Vehicle Highlights

The first UK 512BBi.Extensively featured in period magazines.History from new.Ferrari Classiche certified.

Vehicle Description

Entering production just before Christmas 1981 on Monday 21st December and was completed just over a month later on Friday 29th January 1982 the car was finished in Rosso Corsa with Sabbia (sand) coloured hide with “Zegna” cloth inserts and Castoro (Beaver) coloured carpets It was transported to the UK to Maranello Concessionaires Ltd at Thorpe in Surrey to whom it was first registered S** 657X on the 24th February 1982.This was the first BBi registered in the UK and featured in May 1982 editions of Motor, Car and Motorsport magazines and is photographed on the forecourt of Maranello Sales at Tower Garage.

The car remained with Maranello Concessionaires, Ltd for eighteen months before being sold and registered to Mr David C of Berkshire on the 23rd September 1983, it appears that and error was made as this was later emended to Mr Donald C who re registered the car DCC 594.The respected motor dealers Bramley re registered the car to their address still in Mr C’s name, presumably to facilitate a cherished number transfer. The registration number V** 493X being applied followed by AJB 150A returning to the registration number V** 702X when it was sold to Mr Roger T of B and Son of London SW 19 on 1st April 1985 with 10,320 miles by Bramley ,the car then passed to C Ltd of Wandsworth SW13 three months later on the 1st July 1985 who re registered it C** 512 with whom it remained registered to for just over six years when N Ltd of London SW18 became the registered keepers on the 1st September 1991.Offered for sale by Bonhams in their 18th June 1994 auction and who describe it as “effectively two owners” and having been stored the past three years by Storacar of Newport Pagnell. It may or may not have sold at this auction, but in any event, it was registered to 50-year-old company director, Mr Anthony H of London on the 12th September 1994.

Just shy of two years later the car passed to Mr Brian T of Suffolk on the 1st July 1996 -an application for a duplicate V5 on the 10th July 1997 gives the mileage as 14,300 miles and is now registered Y** 102X. The car passed into the ownership of L Signs (Edinburgh)Ltd on the 17th September 1997 who re registered the car 4 ***.

Fifteen months later still registered 4 *** and still with only 15,626 miles, the car passed into the ownership of Mr Andrew M of Berkshire on the 20th December 1998, two house moves and changes of address appear to have confused the DVLA and have added at least one owner in the process! It would seem that the car was “laid up” and was recommissioned between December 2012 and March 2013-at16,717 miles- by Foskers who carried out a major service replacing fuel lines, crack testing and replating the suspension, stripping out refurbishing the interior. The clutch was replaced (Foskers-16,951miles 16th December 2015).

The last owner. Mr Julian E of The West Country bought the car with its original registration number S** 657X, from a Kent based specialist on the 5th February 2015 following extensive refurbishment and finally a Dintrol rust protection. Tony Willis oversaw the successful Ferrari Classiche application.

The car is complete with a book pack, replacement service book as well as the Ferrari Classiche “the red book”.

History:
Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection on the 512 BBi replaced the outgoing model’s four, triple-choke Weber 40 IF 3C carburettors. Otherwise mechanically identical, the flat-12 featured lower maximum revs (6,600 rpm compared to the 512 BB’s 6,800 rpm) and the engine developed 20 bhp less, although top speed remained within a whisker of the 512 BB’s 283 km/h.
Externally the new model was recognisable by the re-designed rear bumper and wheels, the side NACA duct finished in black and the body-colour wing mirror. Inside, the classic Connolly leather seats featured a central wool textile insert and the car was fitted with air conditioning and central locking as standard.

The Body
The 512 BBi was introduced at the 1981 Frankfurt Salon, to replace the 512 BB model, the “i” suffix denoting a change from carburettors to fuel injection. Apart from the adoption of fuel injection, in line with the other models in the Ferrari range at the time, there were minor cosmetic and mechanical changes.
At the front the plain aluminium egg-crate radiator grille stopped short of the driving lights, which were now exposed in the grille extremities, with small rectangular parking lights mounted in the bumper section above them. At the rear the engine louvre arrangement was modified and a new shroud was provided to the exhaust system, which incorporated hazard warning lights. A new design of door mirror was fitted, changes were made to the interior, including a black spoked steering wheel, and the availability of “Zegna” wool cloth seat centres as an option. The road wheels became the same width front and rear, fitted with Michelin TRX tyres, which had the effect of increasing the front and rear track to 1508mm and 1572mm respectively.
The body was mounted on a 2500mm wheelbase chassis, which had factory reference number F 102 CB 100. All were numbered in the odd chassis number road car sequence, and the construction followed the same principles as its predecessor of a tubular steel chassis frame with a monocoque central cell. Again as with its predecessor it was available in right or left hand drive form, and again no USA market versions were built.
The Engine
The standard road wheels were alloy five spoke “star” pattern, with a knock off spinner on a Rudge hub, although legislative requirements in some markets dictated the fitment of a large octagonal hub nut. The wheels covered large ventilated disc brakes with twin hydraulic circuits, and servo assistance. Independent suspension was provided all round, via wishbones, coil springs, and hydraulic shock absorbers, with twin rear units, together with front and rear anti roll bars.
The aluminium flat twelve cylinder engine was of the same configuration as its predecessor with a cubic capacity of 4943cc, and 82mm x 78mm bore and stroke, with factory type reference F 110 A 000. It featured belt driven twin overhead camshafts per bank, with dry sump lubrication and a hydraulically operated clutch. The 512 BBi was fitted with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, and had the same claimed power output as the carburettor model.
The production period ran from 1981 to 1984, when it was replaced by the world market Testarossa model. During that period a total of 1007 examples were produced, in the chassis number range 38121 to 52935.
Taken from Ferrari's own website
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Mike Wheeler

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